One for Dad
2006-06-20, 5:10 p.m.

Day 667 Revisited � One for Dad

Go back to read today�s really boring entry. This one is a special (late) addition.

Had one of those d�uh moments this morning (again!) I always forget it, but this year it was a little worse because I reminded about myself the new plans on Friday. Sunday, I had meant to stop out at the cemetery (on the other side of the county) where my own Dad is encrypted (Not buried � he has a crypt in a wall with a nice plaque), maybe leave him some fresh flowers and check up on him, but my own life & plans got in the way again. Sucks, really.

My Dad died way back in Nov. 1993. Complications from diabetes. Finally heeded his doctors warnings, but way too late. Really did a great job of getting himself in shape, but all the damage he�d accumulated in 10 or 12 years of denying there was a problem finally caught up to him.

After the funeral, I had visited the cemetery only once � for his 59th birthday a few months after he died. Left him some flowers, but they don�t hold up outside too well around here in February. Everything was still pretty fresh in my mind too � 3 months is not near enough time to �get over� something like that. I remember sitting in the snow, crying for a while � still really missed him a lot then. His oldest grand kids were still only 9 & 10, the youngest were less than a year old. He had so much living left to do, but pooh-poohing his doctors advice ended up costing him. Big time. Had a foot amputated, eventually lost vision in both eyes, finally succumbed to congestive heart failure � all due to diabetes.

I had wanted to stop out to the cemetery see him again. To thank him for scaring the shit out of me � finally. About a year and a half ago I was very near the point where my dad was told he had diabetes. My glucose numbers were starting to creep up, blood pressure was way too high, smoked too much, and my weight � just ugh.

So I made a deal with the devil. Well, ok, not the devil, but my doctor. The plan? Quit smoking first. Get that under control. Then attack the weight. I am so glad my employer sponsors smoking cessation classes a few times a year. Took one in August of 2004 and haven�t looked back. January of 2005 joined the local YMCA. Got myself a copy of FitDay to track calories in vs. calories out. Since then, nearly 80 pounds have disappeared. Cholesterol has gone from 260 down to 150. Blood pressure has gone from 150/90 to 110/72. No BP or cholesterol meds for almost a year now.

So Dad? You did a lot for me while I was growing up, but you�ve done a lot more for me lately. Thanks for scaring some sense into me. Sorry it took so long to figure it out, but I think we have a pretty good grip on things now. Your grandsons love to play golf, I�m sure you�d enjoy watching them. Wish you could have seen them play hockey. Maybe you did watch them, huh? I still miss you a ton, it just hurts a little less these days. Hope you�re still saving me a seat at your euchre table. I�ll be there some day, but it might take a little longer now. For that, I really thank you.

If you use a pop-up blocker, hit "Ctrl" when you click to leave a comment